Riksmålsforbundet (official translation: "The Riksmål Society - The Society for the Preservation of Traditional Standard Norwegian"[1]) is the main organisation for Riksmål, one of the written standard of the Norwegian language (see Norwegian language struggle).
The society was founded by subsequent Nobel laureate Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson on April 7, 1907.
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Although Riksmålsforbundet was founded in 1907 by poet Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, the efforts to organize in support of riksmål dates back to 1899. It served as opposition to efforts by Norwegians who were organized to promote landsmål as the single language for the country.
Riksmålsforbundet worked to preserve and promote riksmål, the traditional written language in Norway, and has consistently opposed the government samnorsk policy as well as opposing compulsory education in the English.
Prominent members of the riksmål movement included the author Jens Bjørneboe, his cousin André Bjerke, Terje Stigen, Carl Keilhau, Agnar Mykle, Arnulf Øverland, Sigurd Hoel, Johan Bernhard Hjort, Knut Wigert, Margrethe Aamot Øverland, Sofie Helene Wigert and Varg Vikernes[2]. Among other spokespersons for the riksmål cause are authors such as Claes Gill, Nils Kjær, Knut Hamsun, Gabriel Scott and Henrik Ibsen.
In recent years a series of language reforms, particularly those of 1981 and 2005, have shown that many of the Riksmålsforbundet goals have been achieved. The Samnorsk policy has been officially abandoned. Officially modern bokmål allows most riksmål forms. In addition, there is now a political majority in favor of discontinuing mandatory speech policy in Norway.
The Riksmålsforbundet publishes the magazine Ordet (The Word).
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